HWP-3X Series
The HWP-3X series holds the distinction for being the first mass produced, 'practical' battle walker built by Artreans on Prodagawa (aka, to the Artreans, FH-116) in the year 25XX. Being built with a relatively basic microreactor powering it with concepts and technologies borrowed from alien technology, the HWP-3X holds itself pretty well, but has yet to see combat. General History The HWP-3X all started with the HWP-1X, an 8 foot, barebones walker that was piloted by a test pilot literally standing on top. A microreactor (The NPP-4) made with top secret alloy heatsinks and concepts gained from research of a Delanian weapon battery followed it on a motorized cart during the version's testing within a warehouse. Technically, the research team who made the mech were Rakorians, but the team that made the microreactor with the knowledge from the recovered Delanian technology were USSRDC scientists. Both had access to prior information and data from years of prior bipedal walker experiments conducted on Artrea years before the colonisation of Prodagawa, so things were somewhat less hard then starting from scratch. Despite this, due to the national and political divisions between the two teams and a later claiming of all blueprints and technologies (for the HWP-1/2/3X) by the Republic of Rakor to be their own, there is some internal tension between the mech design team on Prodagawa, showing how political tensions from light years away still bite the ass of colonial developments by the Artrean Federation. Anyway, testing was a success with the HWP-1X, suffering only problems with the 'animation' of the legs, stability issues, the lack of arms or atleast some kind of appendages to swing and keep the mech stable during the walk cycle (mass produced versions of the HWP-3X have programming that automatically has the weapons on the arm mounts go up and down slightly with a slight swivel of the chest, guided by a gyroscope. However, this can be overidden). To fix this, HWP-2X, the version that added the distinctive 'big paws' of the HWP-3X we see now, had a 'tail' with counterweights and a gyroscope. While still possessing no arms, the mech was programmed to turn its chest back and forth and in turn use the tail's inertia as a way to keep the main body stable. However, this was seen as impractical and tacky, and was quickly cut from the design. Despite the tail being cut, the HWP-2X conducted both indoor and outdoor tests and succeeded with flying colors, though still not possessing the micro reactor. That was when the HWP-3X-A, the final prototype, was produced with full armor plating, gun, ammunition, and one reactor that produced enough energy to run the mech, aswell as computers, electronics, etc. Testing with the HWP-3X-A were a success, and the HWP-3X Mk.1 was set to production. The Present Currently, two active walker sections exist on Prodagawa, with one down. One is Pavlov 4-40, a section of two HWP-3X Mk.1s and one Mk.2, is a majority USSRDC piloted section, led by Captain Pertiz Rotos. The second is Reising 3-30, a majority Rakor Republican pilot section, led by Captain Holoparni Bosmo. The third inactive section is Hilder 2-20, whose current commanding officer is unknown. There is supposedly a fourth section of mechs that is rumored to be called Balder 1-10. General Information The HWP-3X currently has 3 mass produced versions. The Mk.1 variant is the original mass produced version of the HWP-3X, with the Mk.2 and Mk.3 following after, a Mk.4 being in the works. Possessing one of the NPP-4 5MW Experimental Microreactors in tubes underneath the cockpit complete with a compact cooling system consisting of water and 'shots' of liquid nitrogen. The use of the two small yet powerful microreactors ends up producing a peculiar phenomena amongst all HWP-3X models in where the pilot conducts a regular (within every hour or so of continuous operation) 'steam dump', as it is called, which dumps excess super heated steam and allows air cooling to start for a short time, allowing for the cooling system to cool its own supply before returning to regular operation. Weapons and Crew The HWP-3X variants always has atleast two pilots, the only one deferring from this norm is the planned for way later Mk.4. One is the main pilot and is usually an officer or senior NCO who pilots/drives the mech and has control of both 'main' weapons that are usually on the arms . The copilot, on the other hand, operates the nose turret that has dual B/2MT 12.7mm heavy machine guns that have a choice of Ball, AP, and APIT rounds, with belt changing conducted by an ingenious 'sorting machine' in the nose. The copilot is the one who also monitors the condition of the reactor and acts as a rudimentary 'engineer'. Pilot Safety The cockpit they operate in is surrounded by a titanium tub that is 20mm all around, protecting the pilots from most 20-30mm auto cannon impacts, while the glass they see through is a rather thick 25mm of bulletproof glass. Earlier versions of the cockpit had the entire cockpit eject both pilots in the event of an uncontrolled fire in the mech's magazine or reactor. However, this was seen as unnecessary and endangering to the two pilots. The versions in use instead have special panels in the cockpit that can be popped out using small explosives, allowing a quick escape from the cockpit. Electronics All HWP-3X mech variants are equipped with three military grade computing systems, which, although still archaic by galactic standards, are still good enough to get the job done. One is the GYV-4500 electromechanical ballistic data computer that is composited with some digital components to create a ballistic computer that can remember ballistic data requested and compiled by the copilot (spotting with the noseturret as the main pilot begins gunlaying off another set of data). Using two electro optical sensors, one in the nose turret and one that can be used while gunlaying by the pilot, the GYV-4500 is able to get a roughly 90-94% accurate reading on ballistic trajectories required for a target. The second is the ER-400MX stabilization control computer that works off the gyroscope located in the middle of the machine's body. Essentially, its a Gharan (French but Artrean) avionics computer used in GR-4500s that has been modified and adapted for the needs of the HWP-3X by technicians on Prodagawa. Instead of adjusting the degrees and position of flaps on the wings of the aforementioned GR-4500s, it adjusts the stabilization action taken by the chest according to conditions as described by the actions of the gyroscope, which adapts to rough terrain and varying speeds that the pilot takes the mech. It also assists the pilot when he's laying the gun. The third is a 'battlefield control and information' computer, a rather experimental concept, but rather important to the use of the mechs in combined arms warfare, especially emphasized by how powerful the computer is in comparison to the other two. Called the Tinard-20, it utilizes a variety of small, 'green text' screens in the cockpit, utilizing cathode ray tubes and an 8 bit microprocessor and graphical card to produce a basic map and GUI that can be switched between by the user (pilot or copilot). The system is not only used by the copilot to monitor reactor readings, environmental readings, and other basic engineering tasks, but also by the pilot to plot courses through a vector graphical map set up by headquarters in the back and downloaded into the Tinard-20s for each mech that can also be exchanged between every other mech of the section, along with edits, enabling for commanders of sections to lay out battle plans for their sections based on data being broadcasted from HQ. Along with this, the Tinard also handles the programming for the 'belt sorter' aswell as being the conduit for which the copilot can adjust and turn on the radio jammer included on the mech, using a variety of atleast 5-10 different combinations of 'buzzes' and 'drones' that cloud enemy radio channels, including their own unfortunately. Most of the memory used by the Tinard and the two others are from a shared 'data storage bank' of a magnetic storage drive containing 300 Mb worth of data space. Category:Technology